I remember when Robbie was expecting our first child. We had prepared as much as possible and gone over again and again just what we’d do when she went into labor. I also remember that neither one of us ever referenced all of the stuff we tried to learn ahead of time when the actual labor started. It was way more difficult and took much longer than we could have ever anticipated – and the only thing I remember from it was an intense distress and exhaustion.

We did home-births by the way…and I was there for every one of them…and I still have PTSD from the whole experience. (I can almost hear all the women reading this rolling their eyes and thinking “yeah, you poor thing”. )

My point is – actual labor is something the uninitiated cannot fully understand until it’s experienced. I like to keep that in mind when it comes to the text we’ll be reading this Sunday in our study of Mark. We’ll be reading Mark 13:1-13.

As you read this passage, what starts the whole conversation? What does the unnamed disciple bring up and what does Jesus forecast? That is the header for this section. Whatever we understand about it, it must primarily be speaking about the end of the temple age.

Jesus describes political, natural and religious distresses, and yet he states that these things aren’t indicators of anything but birth pangs. Labor has started. How does that temper your understanding of dramatic world events when they occur?

These are some of the things we’ll be thinking about this Sunday as we examine this passage together – hope to see you then!

Click here for a pdf of this teachings PowerPoint slideshow.